Utah State University-College of Eastern Utah has named the “Go-to-Guy” as employee of the year. He is otherwise known as Jay Jones, a member of USU Eastern Blanding Campus Information Technology and Distance Education Technology team.

“He’s every employer’s dream,” said Director Heather Young. “If you need anything done, regardless if it has anything to do with his job description, Jay is the man.”

“We very much appreciate and value Jay’s skills and resourcefulness,” Peterson said. “That quality of being willing to step up and help out when called upon is a trait we see in so many of our remarkable faculty and staff. “

Vice Chancellor and Director Guy Denton said Jones is very deserving of the award and a good example of how the college is productive and responsive to student needs.

This quality was observed by Tracy Thomas, who works as a facilitator at the USU Eastern Monticello Center.

Her account of Jones:

“Around Christmas, a student traveled five hours to the center to take a test. Unfortunately, the computers were down that day. Despite the holiday skeleton crew, they were able to reach Jones who was Christmas shopping in Cortez. He answered right away and walked them through the issue. He then stopped by on his way back from Cortez and spent several more vacation hours until the problem was fixed.”

“He will answer his phone when he is at home at any hour,” Thomas said. “This is important because we normally have classes that are broadcast until 10:30 p.m. Jay also has a way of answering our questions without making us feel inept. He will not only fix a problem, but show us how and has gone above and beyond to offer suggestions on how to make things easier.”

Jones joined USU Eastern Blanding in 2007. He has a split appointment between the Utah Education Network and USU Eastern Blanding. His official title is Distance Education Field Technician but, as Young said, it hardly describes the breadth of his capabilities and what he does for campus and the distance sites.

He and his wife, Michelle, are the parents of four boys and one infant girl. In his spare time, he enjoys photography and has won several photo contests.

“He is always looking for opportunities to expand his knowledge base and learn new skills to better his ability to serve,” Young said. “USU Eastern is very fortunate to have someone of Jay’s caliber representing us.”

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